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Time to break out Amare?

Is it time to unleash the Kraken?

Some postin' and toastin'...?

some spinnin' and winnin'...?

IND has good size and if we can get a contribution from STAT off the bench, at the least he can use this time to get back up to speed just in case we move on. Plus Melo is hurting and we could use another inside scoring threat.

I think a lot of people on this forum will balk at the return of Amare, but I think if he is good to go, we have to give him some minutes. Our struggles on the offensive end at times in the Boston series was a reminder that one of the most potent frontcourt offensive scorers in the league (when healthy) is an asset we shouldn't ignore. Amare was great before he got hurt a couple months ago. My only fear is that he'll need a couple weeks to get going again, which you can't afford in the playoffs.

Watched his special on Epix last night after the game, I swear I did not do it on purpose I was just up with my newborn and I got it On Demand but it was fitting since his return is pending.

But dude is a hard worker! I mean Amare will make a coaching staff just based on how good an example he could be for young players! If Eddy Curry had 1/3 of that he'd been an All Star.

He'd be a decoy for at least a 1 series. Woody can't let him use his low post game when he gets back because it will disrupt the flow and he is not established enough in the post to turn it on. I would use him as a pick and roll threat and let him just square up for mid range J's for the rest of the season....let him play the 1st qtr of Summer League to work on post moves and then throw it in the mix next year!

"I'd Rather Melo shoot with 3 men on him than Jefferies shotting wide open"

I'm wondering how much he has healed. We shouldn't put him in if he isn't ready, I would love for him to be 100% and I don't want him to be injured again because the knees are so important to the game. I do hope he's ready though because he will definitely add important elements in the Knicks' arsenal, size, points in the paint and more free throw opportunities. Also, if he can learn to pass the ball out better from inside, it'll help the team even more.

"Everyone wants a champion's power, but no one wants his pain." - Amar'e Stoudemire

According to Woody Amare will practice on Thursday and Friday and if all goes well could dress for Saturday's game 3. He will take the minutes left by Novak to start which is good since Steve has been absent on D and hasn't hit too many 3's either. His big body presence is something we will need for this next round. Can't wait to seen him beastin in the paint! Le-go!!!

I think we could use him if he's 90-100%. I think our bigs will be in foul trouble playing against the Pacers and having Amare will help.

TC fouled out and Melo with 5, KMart with 4 in 25 mins. I said our bigs would be in foul trouble against the Pacer's big people.

Woody needs to make some adjustments but what options does he have, Camby is useless and Amare is not back until game 3 but what is he going to give you in game 3, he certainly isn't playing 30 minutes.

I expect Melo to be back at SF and KMart in as the starting PF in game 2 with Earl Barron as the backup C and Cope as the backup PF. I don't think that small ball lineup is going to work against that big, physical Pacer lineup.

I think we have to use him in order to win this series. Melo is good but he can't do it all on his own. We need about 10-15 points from Amar'e in limited minutes along with at least some effort on defense.

Short of Melo shooting lights out ball the rest of the series we will not get any further without STAT's presence. If for nothing else than keeping Hibbert busy while Melo/JR drive to the rim or hit jumpers. STAT=chip!

Stat had his first contact practice yesterday. He was rusty but is anxious to go in game 3, props to him for that as opposed to Chicago's DRose who won't make a commitment to playing in the playoffs.

Amar’e Stoudemire participated in his first scrimmage Monday in a 3-on-3 at their practice facility and appeared to have a ways to go after getting outplayed by third-string center Earl Barron.

Stoudemire is still shooting to make his return Saturday in Game 3 but looked winded and out of rhythm and plain rusty. Barron blocked two of Stoudemire's inside shots, he blew a dunk and had Barron score on him a couple of times in the post during the 3-on-3. Mike Woodson and the entire coaching staff watched the scrimmage.
“It feels good to finally be on the court (in) competition,’’ Stoudemire said. “I had a tough day today but it felt really good.’’
Stoudemire hasn’t played since March 7th after undergoing his second knee debridement surgery of the season. He played alongside Marcus Camby and James White in the blue shirts facing the white-shirt trio of Barron, Chris Copeland and Quentin Richardson. When it ended, he lay on the floor on his back in exhaustion.
“I had no pain running, cutting slashing - I felt explosive,’’ Stoudemire said. “The one thing is getting my wind back up and go from there.

Stoudemire will rest Tuesday and hopes to scrimmage Wednesday and Friday. The Knicks had the good fortune of having three days off between Games 2 and 3.
If Stoudemire is right, the Knicks can use his size against the rugged Pacers, who outmuscled the Knicks in Game 1’s 103-97 victory.

“Bad, extremely bad,’’ Stoudemire said when asked how badly he wants back. “I can’t take it. That’s why I sometimes stay in the back and watch the game on TV and just rehab in the back. Sitting right there on the bench, watching the game is very hard for me.’‘
There was talk in the locker room of making a lineup change for Tuesday’s Game 2 and go bigger but Mike Woodson will stand pat. The idea, proposed by Kenyon Martin, was moving Carmelo Anthony back to his regular position of small forward and go with a traditional frontcourt.
Woodson said he’s not ready to do that tomorrow but it’s something that could be considered later on in the series if the Knicks struggle on the boards.
“Not right now,’’ Woodson said of a starting lineup change. “It’s too early in the series. We held our own to start the game. It had nothing to do with who started at the 4 or 5. We came out of the quarter up five points. Melo didn’t get one foul guarding David West."

I don't think I like the idea, and I'm a big STAT guy. One of my favorite Knicks and I appreciate everything he's given us since he signed here but fact of the matter is it takes this dude A LONG TIME to get back in the groove coming back from an injury. It's happened every time so far now. Always comes back with a ton of rust and it takes him weeks to get back to a high level of play. Now we'd be asking him to assimilate right back into the mix in a playoff setting at the expensive of playing time for either Chandler or Martin. This isn't the regular season -- we don't have the luxury of nurse-mating this guy back to full speed by allowing him to work through his mistakes. I mean they just said he looked rusty as hell in a 3 on 3 scrimmage, getting severely outplayed by Barron and Copeland. And consider who we're playing -- Indiana with their barrage of skilled bigs they can throw at us. I mean it'd be a better situation to bring him back if we we're playing Boston now in the 2nd round, but we're not -- beat those fools already...Indy's frontcourt is far deeper & superior. Just doesn't feel like a good idea -- game 3 feels like a rush job. Feels a little too soon. Look, if we go down 0-2, a rusty Amar'e isn't gonna help us anyway... Continue bringing him along and when he gets to a certain point where he's DOMINATING guys like Earl Barron and Copeland in scrimmage and shows he can play with guys like Chandler and Martin and keep up in real practice, that'll be a better time. I trust that Woody will know when it's time.